LEXINGTON, Va. -- The Christopher Newport men's lacrosse team will kick off the 2017 campaign on Wednesday at 7 p.m. when the Captains travel to Washington & Lee for the first annual Virginia "Lacrosse the Nations" Cup at Wilson Field.
 
The contest will serve as the inaugural Virginia LtN Cup, which is being used to raise awareness for Lacrosse the Nations and encourage others across the country to join Team LtN. Lacrosse the Nations was founded in 2008 and is dedicated to unifying "the lacrosse community to sustainably improve education and health while creating hope and opportunity for children in need."
 
Both Mikey Thompson and Washington & Lee head coach Gene McCabe are members of the LtN Board of Directors and have helped raise funds for the organization while also participating in volunteer trips to Nicaragua.
 
The winner of Wednesday's contest will receive bragging rights as well as the Virginia LtN Cup, which will be awarded to the winning team's captains and remain with the squad until the 2018 season.
 
For those interested in learning more about LtN, please visit LacrosseTheNations.org. An information flyer and a link to Christopher Newport's fundraising page are also available at the top of this release.
 
GAME PREVIEW
 
Wednesday's contest will serve as Christopher Newport's first action of the year, while Washington & Lee enters the game with an 0-1 record after dropping a top-20 battle to No. 7 York (Pa.) on February 11.  For those fans unable to make it to the contest, the Generals will provide live stats and a video stream of the action at GeneralsSports.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the CNU schedule page.
 
The Captains are coming off of a 2016 campaign that saw the squad post a 13-5 record while establishing new program marks for victories, points, and caused turnovers. Along the way, the squad broke into the USILA National Coaches Poll for the first time in program history and advanced to the semifinals of the Capital Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
Entering 2017, CNU welcomes back its top four leading scorers from last year, including All-American Randy Foster. The senior posted 47 points, including 36 goals, while becoming the first player in program history to collect national honors from USILA. Meanwhile, Matthew Crist is back after setting a single-season program record with 58 points last year, while Will Geise ranked second on the squad with 54 points. Ryan Mills also led the team with 21 assists.
 
On the other side of the ball, Matt Hayden is back for his final year between the pipes. The record-setting senior already owns the program record for career victories (33), and he ranks second all-time with 456 saves and a 9.05 goals-against-average. Trevor Royce and Thomas Courtney also return after starting 15 games apiece on the back line.
 
Washington & Lee is coming off of a 2016 season that saw the Generals win their first conference championship since 2009. The program returns six starters from that team, which finished the year with a 16-4 record. Entering 2017, the squad was ranked 20th in the USILA National Coaches Poll and picked second in the ODAC Preseason Poll.
 
Leading the veteran contingent, Washington & Lee welcomes back three All-Conference performers, including ODAC Rookie of the Year A.J. Witherell. Defenseman Kyle Gifford and midfielder Joe Perrella also nabbed All-League accolades for their work last year.
 
Last week, the Generals opened up 2017 with a rematch against York (Pa.), who knocked out W&L in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. In the opener, Washington & Lee held a 10-9 lead entering the fourth quarter, but the Spartans fought back to steal a slim 12-11 victory. On an individual level, Perrella posted four points, including three goals, for the Generals, while Nic Peterson had 12 saves. Jed Londrey led the way at the X, winning seven of his 16 faceoff attempts.
 
SERIES HISTORY
 
Washington & Lee holds a 4-1 edge in the all-time series with CNU. Last year, the Captains dropped a 10-9 double-overtime decision in Newport News. Christopher Newport posted its lone victory in the series during the team's last trip to Lexington after upending the 15th-ranked Generals, 13-9, in the 2015 season opener.
 
UP NEXT
 
Following Wednesday's action, CNU will remain on the road for a battle against Randolph-Macon on February 22 at 7 p.m.
 
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